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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27149750">13 Days of Halloween 2020 - Prompt 4 - Cemetery Shenanigans</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zelgadis55/pseuds/Zelgadis55'>Zelgadis55</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>13 Days of Halloween [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>13 Days of Halloween Writing Challenge, But he isn't human and is just doing the best he can with what he has, Cemetery, Cemetery Shenanigans, Gen, Horror, If Splinter was human he would be reported for negligence, Just my 2 cents XD, Nothing to do with the story but those chibi turtles are just so damn cute!, Turtle Tots (TMNT), allstories, and his sons love him anyway, chibi turtles, tmnt13days, tmnt13daysoct22, tmntallstories</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:28:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,503</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27149750</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zelgadis55/pseuds/Zelgadis55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rating: PG<br/>Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.<br/>Summary: 2020 edition. 13 themes. 13 stories. 13 days of Halloween. Stories will be rated individually. '"It is the anniversary of Master Yoshi's passing and I wish to pay my respects."' Splinter takes his young sons to the Cemetery, leaving them alone to amuse themselves. What could go wrong?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>13 Days of Halloween [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978075</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>13 Days of Halloween 2020 - Prompt 4 - Cemetery Shenanigans</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A/N: A product of writing at 3-4 am because I couldn't sleep. At least at just shy of 1,500 words, it's short? XD</p>
<p>2k3 universe. The turtles are young here, probably one or two years after they mutated (I see them as having been the equivalent of three or four-year-olds when they did, rather than babies) and the story is set prior to the episode where they first met the Ancient One.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">
  <span class="u"> <b>Prompt 4</b> </span>
</p>
<p class="western">Cemetery Shenanigans</p>
<p class="western"> </p>
<p class="western">A chill wind blew mournfully through the trees, rustling the leaves noisily as dark clouds scudded quickly past the crescent moon. The little turtles clung tightly to Splinter's robe, tail or hands as he briskly led the way into the large, shadowy field. Michelangelo stared about curiously, seeing hundreds of thousands of strangely shaped shadows throughout. Most were shaped like crosses and many like rectangles, some shorter than him and many towering above his father. Some stood under the cover of huge trees and some out in the open. He tugged on Splinter's hand to get his attention.</p>
<p class="western">"Where are we, daddy?"</p>
<p class="western">Splinter looked down and Michelangelo could just make out his sad smile in the darkness. "This is a cemetery, my son," Splinter replied in a hushed tone. "It is a place where people lay those they love to rest when they pass on."</p>
<p class="western">"Pass on?" Michelangelo asked in confusion, staring up at his father. His daddy looked so sad that it made him want to cry for him.</p>
<p class="western">"He means die," Donatello answered quietly, a sad look on his face. "Like the rat we found that wouldn't move or breathe anymore."</p>
<p class="western">"Oh..." he remembered that; it was only a few days ago. It was so still and cold, its fur matted and falling out... and had looked so much like the dim earliest memories of their father that it had been awful. He tugged at Splinter's hand again, "Why are we here?"</p>
<p class="western">"It is the anniversary of Master Yoshi's passing and I wish to pay my respects," Splinter replied as he deftly led the way through the maze of stone. He stopped by a tree and extricated himself from their hands, sitting Michelangelo and his brothers on the soft grass. "Now, I require the four of you to be quiet and wait here for me while I talk to my father. Can I count on you?"</p>
<p class="western">Leonardo's little chest puffed out in pride, "I'll look after them, daddy," he replied eagerly as the other three nodded and chorused their agreement loudly.</p>
<p class="western">"If you are all quiet and keep out of trouble, we will stop at the playground before returning home," Splinter promised with a smile.</p>
<p class="western">Michelangelo looked at his brothers, grinning and practically bouncing up and down on the spot in excitement.</p>
<p class="western">"Can you push me so high that the swing flies over the top this time?" Raphael asked eagerly, his bright golden eyes gleaming in the dim light.</p>
<p class="western">Splinter chuckled, "We will see. Now behave and be respectful. I will return soon."</p>
<p class="western">"Yes, daddy," they chorused again, watching as their father continued into the shadows on his own.</p>
<p class="western">It didn't take long before boredom set in. Michelangelo started fidgeting in place, looking all around for something interesting to catch his attention. "I'm cold," he whined.</p>
<p class="western">"Me too," Donatello murmured. His arms were wrapped around himself as he shivered. Michelangelo immediately pulled him close, snuggling into him to share their body heat.</p>
<p class="western">"Wimps!" Raphael muttered but Michelangelo could see him shivering too so he stuck his tongue out.</p>
<p class="western">"Can we get daddy?" Michelangelo asked, looking up at Leonardo plaintively. "I don't wanna sit here anymore."</p>
<p class="western">"Daddy told us to stay here," Leonardo huffed indignantly and yet, Michelangelo could hear the uncertainty in his bossy brother's voice.</p>
<p class="western">"Long as we're quiet, we could play a game," Donnie offered shyly. "Moving will keep us warmer and as long as we stay close, it'll be okay."</p>
<p class="western">Michelangelo sat up with interest.</p>
<p class="western">"Daddy said to keep quiet though," Leonardo frowned thoughtfully. "If we play, we won't be."</p>
<p class="western">"You mean Mikey won't be," Raphael sneered meanly.</p>
<p class="western">"Will too!"</p>
<p class="western">"Will not!"</p>
<p class="western">"Will..."</p>
<p class="western">"Hide and seek is quiet," Donnie interrupted, cutting off the growing argument before it could escalate out of control.</p>
<p class="western">They all looked hopefully at Leonardo who pursed his lips, making Michelangelo want to giggle; he looked like a duck like that.</p>
<p class="western">"Alright," Leonardo agreed at last before quickly adding, "Not it!"</p>
<p class="western">"Not it!" Michelangelo and Raphael immediately added and as Donatello pouted, Leonardo gave him a rueful grin.</p>
<p class="western">"You're better at counting?"</p>
<p class="western">"Fine," Donatello grumbled reluctantly. Pulling clear of Michelangelo, he shuffled on his knees, turning to face the tree and leant into it, face against his arms. "Stay close though, remember?"</p>
<p class="western">The other three quickly agreed and took off as Donatello started counting.</p>
<p class="western">All too soon, Michelangelo heard his brother finish and call out softly that he was coming and he panicked. Mikey was great at hide and seek, though not as good as Leonardo, but he hadn't found anywhere good yet that was close. He didn't want to hide behind gravestones or trees like Leonardo and Raphael were and none of the trees were good for climbing - he was just too short to reach the lowest branches - so he did what any sensible turtle would do, took off running for the nearest building.</p>
<p class="western">It wasn't far, he justified to himself and it didn't look like a house or apartment so he doubted anyone lived there. In fact, it looked like a large stone shed and if he hid behind it, he'd win the game for sure.</p>
<p class="western">To his delight, as he circled the small building, he discovered the door open. Michelangelo peeked inside but couldn't see much as it was so dark, so grinning at his genius, he slipped inside. Within a couple of minutes, his eyes adjusted to the dark and he could make out benches to the side of the room and a solid narrow, rectangular table in the centre. To his surprise, there was no room beneath it to crawl under so he crept closer for a better look.</p>
<p class="western"><em>"How dare you disturb my slumber!" </em>a strange-sounding voice boomed into his ear.</p>
<p class="western">Michelangelo squeaked as he jumped in fright, looking all around frantically; he was in so much trouble! His daddy told him over and over, never to be seen, never let the humans see you, but... but... there was no one there! He couldn't see or smell anyone so... so where were they?</p>
<p class="western">
  <em>"What are you?"</em>
</p>
<p class="western">At the moment, the door closed, cutting off the light and Michelangelo cried out, running for where he remembered the door was. Terrified, he reached up, blindly feeling for the handle in the darkness and his fingertips just barely grazed it. Desperately, he jumped to get a better grip, planting his feet against the wall and pulling as hard as he could but it was too heavy and he couldn't make it budge.</p>
<p class="western"><em>"What </em>are <em>you!" </em>The hidden voice growled angrily once more.</p>
<p class="western">"T-turtle," Michelangelo whimpered, dropping from the door in fear as he searched again for the source of the voice. He couldn't tell where the voice came from. It seemed like it was everywhere and nowhere all at once. Suddenly, before his questing eyes, a faint glowing light appeared and Mikey's eyes boggled as an ethereal figure moved slowly towards him.</p>
<p class="western">
  <em>"A talking turtle?"</em>
</p>
<p class="western">Michelangelo nodded frantically, unable to find his voice. He watched fearfully as the figure floated slowly around him as if studying him the way Donnie studied bugs.</p>
<p class="western"><em>"I haven't had turtle for a very long time,"</em> the voice murmured thoughtfully. <em>“Must be about two-hundred years since the last time.”</em> Michelangelo still couldn't make out any features despite the faint glow of the person but they were shaped kinda like a human and his daddy always told him humans were bad, keep away from them.</p>
<p class="western">
  <em>"I wonder if you taste as good as I remember..."</em>
</p>
<p class="western">"Taste?" Michelangelo whimpered. "Are you... gonna eat me?"</p>
<p class="western">A rictus formed on the thing's otherwise featureless face, wide and yawning and growing bigger by the second. Long, pointed teeth appeared as lips shrank back, growing longer and larger as the mouth did. Suddenly, it rushed at him and Michelangelo screamed, back-peddling into the wall to get away from it.</p>
<p class="western">Then as it was about to swallow him whole, the door flew open and it disappeared. Poof! Like a shadow in the darkness.</p>
<p class="western">"Michelangelo?" His father's stern voice asked.</p>
<p class="western">Mikey hiccuped, looking terrified at the silhouette in the door. <em>"Daddy!"</em> he sobbed, flying into Splinter's warm arms, trembling in utter terror.</p>
<p class="western">Splinter looked around in concern, sniffing carefully at the air. "What happened, my son?"</p>
<p class="western">Shaking his head into Splinter's robes, Mikey wailed. <em>"Don't let it eat me!"</em></p>
<p class="western">"You have nothing to fear, Michelangelo. There is nothing here," Splinter murmured gently as he carried Michelangelo away from the mausoleum, his son clutching frantically at him, too frightened to let go. "There has been no one inside for at least three days."</p>
<p class="western">"<em>I s-saw it!</em> It c-closed the door an' tried to eat me. D-don't let it get me, Daddy."</p>
<p class="western">"You are safe now, my son, I promise," Splinter assured as he began walking home. He frowned and glanced back and for a moment, thought he saw something that hadn't been there before watching them and at that moment, decided never to bring his sons back to this place ever again.</p>
<p class="western">-:-</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You can still join the fun for Halloween too! Writers and Artists are welcome and you can do as many or as few of the prompts as you like. For more information, look for sampsonknight on Deviant Art or https://tmnt-allstories.tumblr.com/  The list of prompts is up and has been for about a month.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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